Notice of the late Sheldon Clark. 221 



glory of nations, consisted in, and depended upon, their great men. 

 What has Greece, or Rome, or any nation of antiquity transmitted to 

 posterity, worthy of esteem and admiration, but the achievements of 

 their heroes, and the productions of their artists, poets, and philoso- 

 phers ? And what else can we transmit to succeeding ages, to distin- 

 guish us from the unlettered savages that roamed at large in the uncul- 

 tivated wilds of America when discovered by our fathers ? Full of 

 this idea, and animated with an ardent desire to promote the honor and 

 happiness of iny own native country, I felt determined to do all I 

 could to patronize and encourage literature and science, to provide 

 the means of affording our literary and scientific genius a finished 

 education. 



" Oft when toiling with ceaseless assiduity to accomplish that object, 

 I have been pointed at, by my fellow-citizens, with the finger of scorn, 

 and taunted by the tongue of ridicule. But for all this I felt a reward 

 in the anticipation of promoting the honor, and glory, and happiness of 

 my beloved country. I never dreamed of personally receiving the 

 grateful acknowledgments of one of the most respectable collegiate 

 classes in the world. This I assure you, my dear friends, is a full, a 

 I'ich compensation for all the labor, the hardships and privations I have 

 suffered. 



As honor, and glory, and happiness, are the only objects worthy of 

 the attention of wise and intelligent beings, I have no doubt that they 

 will be the chief objects of your pursuit. From the sentiments ex- 

 pressed in your kind and interesting letter, I presume that some of you 

 are highly gratified with the study of the " sublime science." 



Mr. Clark informed me, that the first conception of his plan 

 took place during the season of his residence in Yale College, 

 when he was attending in several of the college class-rooms, and 

 that he had been maturing it ever since. In a rugged country of 

 stony hills, he had followed the plough — he had fattened droves 

 of cattle — he had taught school in winter, and loaned money at 

 all times — not to accumulate wealth for himself, but to promote 

 the good of others. He appealed to me as to the propriety of his 

 views, and it is quite unnecessary to say that I encouraged them, 

 remarking at the same time, that he alone must be the judge of 

 his own obligations to his family friends, with which no one, 

 and certainly not myself, would wish to interfere. 



Mr. Clark having made up his mind, submitted through me, a 

 proposition to deposit five thousand dollars, to be placed at com- 

 pound interest, until it should become the foundation of a profes- 



